Cavalry Training Regiment - Possibly?

[Postwarden]

This recently acquired photo had me stumped at first. Although the cap badge is the Royal Arms, usually described for officers as that of the General List and from mid-war that of the Other Ranks of the General Service Corps, the soldier is wearing service dress without titles and a cavalry bandolier. In close up it is possible to see that he has a triangular cloth backing to his cap badge.

After much head scratching I came up with a possible solution which I am now testing out on the Forum.

Army Council Instruction 817 of 24th July 1940 instructs that recruits with cavalry training regiments "who are not appointed to regiments until completion of their recruit training" were to wear as their cap badge the Royal Arms and the cloth shoulder title "Cav TR". The latter, one of the rarest slip-on titles, did not become available until October 1940.

This would explain both the bandolier and the missing title.

The cloth badge backing may have been a method of identifying a training unit - there were several numbered Cavalry Training Regiments - or a recruit destined for a particular type of regiment - Hussar, Lancer etc.

Comments, thoughts welcome.

Jon

[Postwarden]

No comments or suggestions?

Jon

Hi Jon, not my expertise, however you make a good argument and on my inspection perfectly reasonable. Regards Mark

[Postwarden]

Thanks Mark.

Jon

Originally Posted by MarkGD

Hi Jon, not my expertise, however you make a good argument and on my inspection perfectly reasonable. Regards Mark

[Luke H]

Hi Jon,
This isn’t my area either but your theory sounds perfectly reasonable to me. The only thing, to my eyes (and I’m no uniform buff) his uniform has a bit of a pre WW2 look. In 1940 would battle dress not have been standard and would a leather bandolier still have been worn? Assume it’s possible for a studio shot they may have ‘accessorised’ a little for a smarter look. Hopefully those in the know will comment.
Cheers,
Luke

[Postwarden]

Luke,

Thanks for your comments. Battle Dress was by no means universal at the time that the Cavalry Training Regiment existed and service dress remained the official uniform for mounted units - at least those which still had horses - throughout the war, as did bandoliers. The cavalry division which went to the Middle East retained SD for some time as this photo of the Staffordshire Yeomanry taken in the Middle East in March 1940 shows.

Jon

[Luke H]

Jon,

Thanks for clarifying. I just assumed being a new recruit and nearly a year into the war he’d have been issued with battle dress and old stock SD would likely have been used up. Nice pic of the Staffs Yeoman with the QVC badge and collars! Thanks for showing.

Luke